Real Mother of the Wealthy Family’s Rebellious Son is Back – Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – The evil stepmother has revealed her true nature.

In the living room, Xie Yizhao dismissed his assistant and butler, leaving only three people.

He and Lu Xi sat on opposite sides of the sofa, while Xie Heng, in order to maintain distance from them, stood alone by the window, arms crossed, watching them with vigilance and indifference.

His demeanor was akin to a young wolf patrolling his territory. Anyone attempting to invade would be met with a deadly glare.

Lu Xi found his expression both amusing and exasperating, not finding him fierce at all, but rather somewhat foolishly cute.

Xie Yizhao had dismissed the others because he knew what he was about to discuss with Lu Xi was sensitive. How she had disappeared back then, where she had been all these years, and why her appearance hadn’t changed at all… It was all too mysterious. Perhaps it was best even Xie Heng stayed away.

Accustomed to giving orders, Xie Yizhao’s years of work habits made him terse and direct with Xie Heng : “Go eat, or go back to your own room.”

Xie Heng, of course, refused stubbornly, sticking out his neck : “Why should I? This is my home. Why don’t you take your little lover out?”

If his Dad had just found him a stepmother, he wouldn’t care. But this stepmother didn’t know her place and acted like she was his real Mom. Absolutely unacceptable!

Xie Yizhao might have been bewitched by beauty, but he wasn’t a child who would allow himself to be manipulated.

Xie Yizhao frowned, pursed his lips, and glanced briefly at Xie Heng, his long fingers tapping lightly on his knee. His dark eyes were deep and cold, silent yet enough to make one nervous.

Usually, Xie Heng would argue back, but whenever he saw his Dad’s expression, he also felt uneasy.

His gaze shrank slightly, but he kept his back straight, signaling he wouldn’t back down.

However, at that moment, Lu Xi suddenly stood up and walked expressionlessly towards him.

Xie Heng startled for a moment, instinctively wanting to evade, remembering the night she had beaten him. But then he couldn’t help but snort.

What was there to fear? Now that his Dad was here, she would definitely pretend. She wouldn’t dare to beat him…

*Hiss—* Xie Heng’s cool expression froze.

Lu Xi pinched his right cheek, not too hard, not causing him pain, but extremely humiliating.

This woman actually pinched his cheek!

In front of his Dad! Wasn’t this too arrogant?

“Let go of me…” Xie Heng was both angry and aggrieved.

Lu Xi released him, her fair face now a warning : “Call me your Dad’s lover again, and I’ll hit you until you cry.”

The young man’s handsome face flushed red where she had pinched him. He couldn’t believe it, casting a glance at Xie Yizhao, who appeared resigned, evidently having no objections to the woman’s actions.

Spineless! Weakling!

Xie Heng was deeply disappointed in his Dad. He angrily left the living room, slamming the door shut behind him.

The butler, witnessing this scene, couldn’t help but worry.

It seemed his earlier guess was right. There might be trouble brewing in this household.

The living room was too spacious; it wasn’t the place for conversations. Xie Yizhao led Lu Xi upstairs to the study.

The door had been locked previously. When Lu Xi entered, she found the furnishings inside surprisingly similar to before. She wasn’t too surprised; she had already noticed that besides the replacement of the servants and the addition of a son, everything else in this house was almost the same as before.

Rather than saying Xie Yizhao was a nostalgic person, it was more accurate to say he didn’t care. As a workaholic, home was just a place to sleep for him; there was no need to change anything.

Over these years, it seemed that he was still the man who didn’t love coming home.

There were reasons why he didn’t get along well with his son.

He was the only one using the study, so there was only an office chair, not even a sofa. Lu Xi didn’t bother with niceties, calmly sat down in the chair and took a careful look at Xie Yizhao.

She was dizzy with anger just now and snapped at Xie Yizhao, but when she saw his face clearly, she was somewhat surprised, and somewhat impressed.

After all, he was her bed companion; this face, no matter how many years passed, she could recognize at a glance.

He was thirty-eight now, but still handsome; honestly, he doesn’t look old.

But for Lu Xi, what she saw not long ago was Xie Yizhao version 1.0, in his twenties, at the peak of his youth, young and full of vigor. Back then, his handsomeness carried sharp edges like a blade, but now with added age, he’s subdued those edges, his gaze more reserved and mature, exuding a refined charm.

D*mn… sheeds actually more attracted to his current appearance?

A thirty-eight-year-old man, with tall stature, broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, his physique unchanged, indicating he still maintained healthy eating habits and regular exercise.

His hair was still lush, which was good, indicating no balding genes; Xie Heng wouldn’t have that worry in the future.

But regardless of what she saw, Lu Xi remains calm. Just the thought that he might have been with other women these years instantly kills her affection.

The most important thing now is to clarify her identity.

Lu Xi spoke first, “Let me make it clear beforehand: don’t ask me what happened, or where I’ve been these years. I can’t say. Whether you believe I’m Lu Xi or not, a test will make it clear.”

She had thought that as long as nothing unexpected happened, her genetic information wouldn’t change—if she was really unlucky and the results didn’t match, she might have trouble.

After Xie Yizhao entered, the only seat in the study was taken. He didn’t mind and walked straight to the window, letting Lu Xi stare at him freely. She used to do the same; she liked to gaze at him with that admiring look. But this time, before a second of admiration passed, her gaze turned to disdain and indifference.

As if she were looking at a stranger unrelated to her.

Xie Yizhao didn’t mind. Their wedding was hurried, and they seldom spent time together afterwards, lacking communication. Usually, he was busy with his work, she with her pastimes. Now, after so many years, they were even more estranged from each other.

She had disappeared for so many years, enough to change many things; she still looked young and beautiful.

But it seems there was something different now.

Xie Yizhao wasn’t so curious; he guessed she couldn’t explain for some reason, so he nodded indifferently, “Alright, I’ll arrange it now.”

Actually, he didn’t doubt her identity, but someone needed to see it in black and white.

Thinking of his rash and willful son, the man gave a helpless smile. He remembered something and suddenly turned his gaze to Lu Xi, asking, ‘You said just now that Xiao Heng had an accident. What do you mean?’

Lu Xi : “…”

She couldn’t say.

In these few days, she found she couldn’t explain the contents of that dream, including writing it down or sending a message; it was quite helpless.

Lu Xi had to say, “A few days ago at the bar, someone drugged him. If I hadn’t gone, wouldn’t he have had an accident?'”

Xie Yizhao remained composed, “No, I had someone following him; I wouldn’t let him drink that glass.”

It’s just that she acted faster and got ahead of his people.

Lu Xi was slightly surprised. Her gaze swept over his clear and refined face, confirming that he was indeed Xie Yizhao, meticulous in his work and fond of controlling everything.

In that dream, there was certainly no plot involving Xie Heng getting addicted.

She nodded, changing the subject: “Let’s get the test done as soon as possible so I can regain my identity.”

The thought of still being ‘dead’ made her feel awkward; she was afraid people would shout ‘ghost’ if she walked out.

Xie Yizhao replied, “There’s no need to regain it.”

Lu Xi : ?

Xie Yizhao continued, “Your identity is still intact. I never processed your death certificate after the accident, nor did I cancel your household registration.” He paused, his eyes clear and calm. “However, your ID card is about to expire, so we’ll need to renew it.”

Lu Xi : ??

Seeing her puzzled expression, Xie Yizhao gently explained, “Since your body was not found after that accident, I had reason to believe you were still alive.”

Despite his words, she still found it unbelievable.

According to the law, if a natural person goes missing due to an accident for two years, their relatives can apply for a death certificate. But if he didn’t apply for it, does that mean her identity has always been valid?

For Lu Xi, this was a good thing and saved her a lot of trouble, but it was different from her dream…

Could it be because of her sudden crossing, altering something, like the butterfly effect?

Lu Xi wasn’t good at science, she couldn’t figure it out, but since this whole thing was so mysterious, she simply decided not to dwell on it.

However, were she and Xie Yizhao still legally married now?

Xie Yizhao walked to the corner where the safe was located. He opened it without avoiding her gaze, quickly retrieving a folder from inside and handing it to her. “You can keep these yourself or leave them here.”

Eagerly, Lu Xi opened the folder. The first thing she saw was her ID card. She picked up the small card and felt it; indeed, it was about to expire in a month. She put it in her pocket first.

The rest were important documents: from her graduation certificates and school awards to the most important, her property documents.

Lu Xi owned four houses, one she bought before marriage and three given by Xie Yizhao afterwards, all in prime locations. Over the past decade, their value had skyrocketed, now worth more than ten times their original price.

There were also her savings from before, which Xie Yizhao had been investing for her, yielding substantial returns. Combined with her real estate and the high-end jewelry she had collected earlier, she was now a wealthy woman who could live comfortably for the rest of her life as long as she didn’t spend recklessly.

Her greed for wealth was revealed as she looked through the documents with a smile on her face, unwilling to let them go.

If waking up to find herself immensely rich was not surprising enough, waking up to find her assets multiplied several times was certainly even more surprising!

Of course, she needed to keep these things safe. Lu Xi handed the documents to Xie Yizhao, watching as he returned them to the safe. Xie Yizhao then gave her the password to the safe and the study, making it convenient for her to access them anytime.

This surprised Lu Xi a little.

Was he really that trusting? It didn’t match his cautious personality… Then again, maybe there was nothing else important inside.

Just as she was pondering, she suddenly heard Xie Yizhao ask, “You’re not leaving again in the future, right?”

Lu Xi was taken aback. After a few seconds, she reacted and blinked slowly. She wasn’t entirely sure, but thinking of Xie Heng, she nodded.

She had a feeling that this time when she crossed over, she wouldn’t suddenly disappear again.

Xie Yizhao looked deeply into her eyes and said in a low voice, “Welcome home.”

He was always efficient in his actions. After lunch, personnel from the testing agency arrived at their home to take samples.

Lu Xi asked, “They can still come to the house?”

Xie Yizhao lightly said, “It’s a company under my name.”

…Understood, Lu Xi thought.

When she searched for photos of Xie Yizhao, she came across another piece of news about his involvement in the biotechnology field starting a few years ago. Given the privacy issues involved with his family affairs, naturally, the company was the most secure option.

Out of spite, Xie Heng hadn’t come down for lunch just now. The butler was about to take it up to him, but Lu Xi stopped him and insisted it not be delivered.

The butler looked helplessly at Xie Yizhao. “Sir, this…”

Normally, when Young Master threw a tantrum, Master wouldn’t allow meals to be delivered, not indulging him. But he was him, and Miss Lu was Miss Lu. She shouldn’t have the justification to be so strict.

Xie Yizhao simply glanced at Lu Xi and said, “Listen to Madam.”

The butler widened his eyes.

Madam? When did they get married?

Lu Xi was also somewhat surprised. Although they hadn’t divorced, it was fine to call her Madam, but the identification results wasn’t out yet. It seemed he was already convinced she was Lu Xi, including directly showing her the documents earlier.

Was this the confidence and decisiveness of someone in power?

Lu Xi calmly ate her food with elegance. “In the future, when Xiao Heng is at home, meals will only be called once. If he doesn’t eat, it means he’s not hungry.”

The butler smiled bitterly in agreement.

What could he do? He could only obey the Master. It seemed that Xie Heng would have a hard time from now on. This stepmother was too formidable. She had even brought the Master under her control.

Xie Heng’s room was on the second floor, near the dining room.

He woke up late this morning and found only steamed buns left in the cafeteria, which he didn’t like. He decided to go home hungry. Little did he expect to have stayed hungry until now, with his stomach growling. But he absolutely refused to dine with those two at the table.

Just now, he had said he wouldn’t eat, and going down now would be a slap in his own face. So he opened the door, planning to wait for a maid to pass by and ask her to casually prepare something to eat in the kitchen.

Then he heard Lu Xi’s words.

Xie Heng’s face turned cold as he gripped the door, veins faintly visible on his hand.

Who said he wasn’t hungry? This woman couldn’t hold back, revealing her true nature as an evil stepmother?

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